Relationship between Smile Type and Periodontal Phenotype: A Clinical Cross-sectional Study

Abstract Objectives: To assess the relationship between smile category and periodontal makeup. Materials and Methods: A total of 58 participants who were at least 18 years old were examined clinically and through photography. The parameters that were assessed included smile type (low, average, and high) gingival phenotype as determined by the visibility of the periodontal probe, keratinized tissue dimensions, gingival configuration, papillary height (PH), crown length, and contact surface. One-way analysis of variance and Chi-square tests were employed to tabulate the data. 0.05 was kept as the level of significance. Results: Males had a high smile type of 16 participants (88.9%), average smile type of 7 participants (31.8%), low smile type of 3 participants (16.7%), with females having a high smile type of 2 (11.1%), average smile type of 15 (68.2%), a low smile of 15 participants (83.3%), respectively, with statistically significant results with P = 0.0005. Moreover, persons with high smile type had more of a thick phenotype, which was again statistically significant (P = 0.0005). Conclusion: It is evident that there exists a relationship between smile type and periodontal phenotype, that is, high smile type persons had more of a thick phenotype; also, majority of the male patients had a thick gingival phenotype. Patients with pronounced scalloped PH also had a high smile type. Furthermore, more studies are required in the future to provide treatment if at all patient needs any future correction, to help them face the society with confidence. Clinical Relevance: Esthetics is a field that is in high demand nowadays, where people are more focused. Hence, an adequate knowledge of the smile and the periodontal makeup helps us to devise an appropriate treatment plan, thereby remitting the patient with full satisfaction.